Optimizing use of bandwidth through efficient control of data communication, and more particularly, maximizing use of allocated bandwidth for communicating data to a plurality of locations (i.e., points) is critical. In particular, when communicating data to mobile platforms using satellite communication, efficient bandwidth usage is especially critical. The more bandwidth that is required to transmit data because of inefficiencies, such as when broadcasting data to a plurality of locations when it is only needed in a few locations, the higher the cost of transmitting that data. Thus, determining the most efficient mode of transmission is crucial.
With the increased mobility in society today, resulting not only from the availability and lower cost of faster transportation (e.g., discount on-line airline tickets), but from the increased availability of devices for accessing information while in-transit (e.g., laptop computers and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)), increasing numbers of individuals are demanding more bandwidth at the same time. With the demand for bandwidth increasing rapidly, not only is controlling bandwidth allocation crucial, but determining the best mode of transmission is a must. Specifically, as electronic communication becomes more readily available on aircrafts, the efficient use of available bandwidth must be provided.
In particular, efficient data content delivery must be provided to maximize the use of available bandwidth. Various forms or modes of communication are known for communicating between electronic devices. For example, data may be transmitted in the following different modes: (1) broadcast to a transmission area or region; (2) multicast to a set of particular devices, such as point-to-multipoint communication; or (3) unicast to a specific device, such as point-to-point communication, among others. Depending upon the particular application, one of these communication modes may be more suited for use to meet specific efficiency needs.
Therefore, in order to maximize the use of available bandwidth, appropriate control of communication links, and more particularly, determining the most efficient communication method using a specific transmission mode is needed.